"FRANKWBELL" wrote ...
It does here, too.

It was that way when I grew up in Louisiana also... I would suspect that it
is that way in a lot of the country...

And over the past three years we have had several fatal
boating collisions in Delaware and New Jersey as a result.
And those are just the ones that made the news.

I would also hazard to guess that there is a greater percentage of boaters
who drink while operating than there are car drivers who do the same thing
because it is basically part of the boating culture... In most cases, being
slightly inebriated on the water is going to have a less serious effect than
doing it on the pavement... Speeds tend to be slower, plus it's difficult to
drink while travelling over rough water without spilling your drink... I've
tried using a straw for my beer, but it just doesn't work / taste right --
too much foam... For the most part, you tend not to be operating your boat
in the immediate vicinity of other boats, so the penalty for being not
perfectly straight in your track is less severe (unlike not staying in your
lane on the highway)... There are always those who operate their boat (or
any other type of vehicle) beyond their abilities... As long as you are
careful and don't go to extremes, a few beers while boating is no big
deal...

I like my whiskey.

To each his own... I've never really developed a taste for the whiskey /
bourbon / scotch type of drinks... I hear that wine drinking and sailing are
somewhat linked... I guess they go slow enough that they can put drinks in
glasses that would spill in smaller / faster boats...